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SATURDAY, DAY 1
May 4, 2019
Psalm 115:1 “Not unto us O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, [and] for thy truth’s sake.”
By God’ s wonderful grace we made it safely to Seville, and were able to go out this evening to pass out tracts. All the tracts were ready on time, for which we thank God for. Here are a few highlights:
One man with his girlfriend was reading the tract that he had been given by another one of the team members. He saw another female team member who was passing by, and he called her over as he had some questions about what the tract meant. The team member told the man that the world is under God’s judgment, and for him to go “ebiblefellowship.org” The man was very excited and said he would go to the website, and keep reading the tract.
Another British woman and her husband was given a tract inside the hotel, and said she would read over the tract, and that she hoped she would see the female team member who gave her the tract tomorrow. Another man who was a waiter was standing outside of his restaurant reading a tract and asked another team member who was passing by what it was all about. The team member responded by saying it was information from the Bible, and directed the man to E Bible ‘s website, and he said he would.
Another encounter involved a group of 10-year-olds who were playing, and one of them asked one of the team members’ what her shirt signified. She explained that it was information from the Bible, and one of the boys asked, “Why do I need it?” And she replied, “ It’s good for your soul.” And the boy replied, “ Well in that case, I’ll take one.”
Thank you for your continued prayers for us, which we are so grateful for.
In Christ,
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Seville, Spain
SUNDAY, DAY 2
May 5, 2019
“Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded; Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.” (Jeremiah 50:2)
One of the groups went to the Cathedral, and it was quite slow. One of the team members gave a tract to a young woman who immediately began reading it and then approached two other team members looking very troubled ,and asked the team leader “may I ask you a personal question.” And he said, “sure.” She explained the she was gay and her parents threw her out of the house ,and then asked “why does God hate gays.” The team members shared that God hates all sin, and began to list a number of them. The young lady then said, “why.” And they explained “because God is holy.” She went on to ask , “why can’t God be gay.” The team leader replied “because God created man in His image, then instituted marriage between a man and a woman, and thirdly, homosexuality is prominently displayed throughout the Bible as a sin, even though one person’s sin, is no worse than somebody else’s. The team leader encouraged her to study the Bible, and she said “what do you mean study the Bible,” because I read the Bible. The leader continued: “pray to a God for wisdom as it is the Holy Spirit who teaches, as you compare “spiritual with spiritual, “ or Scripture with Scripture, and don’t trust me. She was very attentive as the leader then went on to share more about various study tools that a God has provided, such as Strong’s Concordance, and Jay P. Green’s Interlinear Bible. She was hungry for information and had a more questions. They continued speaking for another 15 minutes, during which she listened very intently, and the team leader pointed her to the ebiblefellowship.org website, YouTube, and Facebook links, underscoring that questions like hers could be typed into Sunday’s Q & A. She left clutching the tract, and was thankful.
Another team member reported: “I saw a young man leaning on the rail, so i approached him asking, “habla espanol,” or do you speak English. He said English. I asked where are you from. He said he was from New York. I pointed to Osvaldo, who was from the same state and city, so I gave him an English tract. He asked me, “what was it about?" I said, have you noticed the turmoil in the world? The strife that exists in all areas of life. I am older than you and I can tell you it has gotten far worse and will continue this way...
The verses from the Bible in this tract will help you to understand these things. Another team member said that they went to a place to eat as they were quite tired, and at this particular restaurant, they said that they could not sit down, and even said they could not offer any chairs to the team either. So they decided to go to another restaurant. At the second restaurant a young man was very helpful and accommodating. He immediately asked what denomination the team was a part of, and one of the Spanish speaking members informed him that they did not belong to any denomination, because God had ended the church age, and we only look to the Bible for truth. The young man kept insisting, “but what denomination are you a part of,“ and commented that “all the churches say they have the truth, and all are after money, and the reason I know this is because I happen to be the son of an evangelist.” Another team member began to hand him a tract, and he declined, saying, “I have two, that I have already read.”
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf that God will enable us to feed His sheep in Seville, by His mercy.
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Spain
MONDAY, DAY 3
May 6, 2019
The glory of the LORD shall endure forever: the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works. (Psalm 104:31)
We thank God for another day and the opportunity to share His Word with the dear people of Seville, amongst whom we trust God has His beloved sheep that need to be fed. We have found a good reception rate overall here, and most people politely receive the tract, but we have also noticed clear animosity to the Bible’s message as well, as some will take a tract, and then out of spite immediately throw into a trash receptacle, as happened to one of the team today. We have also noticed tracts torn up into little pieces by people who were undoubtedly angered by the verses in the tract, or trash cans stuffed with tracts. Some display their hatred for God’s Word by the looks of disgust or waving their hands as if to say, “Get away, I want nothing to do with what you are offering.” There was also another man (an ardent Catholic) that just wanted to argue vehemently, but the team members involved just walked away, realizing that the communication was not in the least fruitful.
By contrast, others stopped to ask a few questions, and responded positively to the message of the tract, and expressed their gratitude to the team member for taking the time to answer their questions. Here are some more highlights from today’s distribution: Juan Antonio, a young man of about 22-25 years of age, talked to one of the team. He had a wrist band that read “protestant Reform,” but said he was going to a Baptist church. He spoke Spanish and limited English to two of the team members, and made every effort to convince them that he was a brother in Christ. One of the team expressed to him that this was not unlike Paul, when he spoke of Jews at times, calling them “brethren,” but if they would not heed his words, that they really did not belong to Christ. Also he repeated numerous times that he was a Christian by using Luke 9:50 as a proof text:
“And Jesus said unto him, Forbid [him] not: for he that is not against us is for us.”
The team member tried to explain that he agreed that the Lord said this of those who were baptizing outside of the disciples themselves, but was interrupted by the young man’s efforts to speak in English. The team member mentioned he may think himself as one, but God could use even a donkey to accomplish His will. Sadly, Juan was completely focused on his presumed identification with Christ by virtue of his Baptist church; he also may have had a partial impairment of sorts. He cordially went on his way thereafter, as many do, whom God has blinded to the truth of Scripture, reminding one of those who say in Luke 13:25, “...Lord, Lord, open unto us...” and hear the awful sentence, “...I know you not whence ye are,”
One of the teams went back to the Féria de April, or the Seville Fair this evening, where hundreds of small tents house private food and drink parties for all ages, and everybody is dressed up very nicely, and many in traditional Spanish attire from little children to the elderly. Near the entrance to the Fair, a young man in his late teens approached one of the team members to ask what the tract was all about. When he found out he got very excited and shared the tract with some of his other friends, and then came back to ask if he could get some more tracts to pass out, which the team member gladly gave him; he then came back again to request some more to pass out. We praise God for His guidance and direction in leading us to those of His choosing, knowing that He truly does all things perfectly according to His divine will.
May He continue to strengthen us physically as well as spiritually to accomplish our task here in Spain.
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Seville, Spain
TUESDAY, DAY 4
May 7, 2019
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. {16} He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep {17} He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep." (John 21:15-17)
Today was a very productive day, by God’s mercy as the team concentrated on a few different areas of the city - one group went to the Seville Fair, while the other focused on another area of town called Macarena, and then later in the early evening moved to the bullfighting ring, known as the Plaza de Toros, or “Plaza of the bulls.” This venue draws large crowds of men, women, and children, and as customary, dressed in their “Sunday best,” and so there were many vendors in front of the four entrance doors selling seat cushions, hats, water and snacks, and gypsies who aggressively approached men to give them a sprig of rosemary, telling them of its health benefits, and then reading their palms, and asking them for a donation in return. The group that went to the bullfighting ring, then proceeded to walk down the main boulevard that parallels the river, to a very busy spot by a bridge that was teeming with people. One highlight of the day for that team was a man that had approached one of the team on a bicycle, and asked a number of questions, and seemed interested in what we were sharing, and he agreed to carefully read the tract at home, and was told that if he had more questions he could go to the various E Bible websites and other links that are listed on the back of the tract. A photo of the conversation will be posted to Facebook, Lord willing. Both teams encountered a good reception rate, and were able to empty out their backpacks, and return to the hotel.
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Seville Spain
WEDNESDAY, DAY 5
May 8, 2019
"To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; {8} To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; {9} To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD." (Psalm 149:7-9)
We were told by the hotel manager that today would be the busiest day of the Seville Fair, as many of the stores in the vicinity of the Fair would be closed. So the team separated into two groups as we have been doing since we started. The one group focused on the area of the Fair; the other on the busy area north of the Fair. Here are the wonderful encounters that our gracious LORD sovereignly arranged today: One man (in his late twenties) had parked his motorcycle near one of the team members, and the team member had noticed that there was a tract on the ground near him, so she went to pick it up, and he asked for one. Then he began reading it all the way though, and commented that it was very interesting, and in the end stated to the team member, “Viva nuestro Rey, Jesu Cristo por siempre! “ or Glory to our King, Jesus Christ forever! This same team member also met a young woman (about 25) who took a tract, and said she wanted to come back later to discuss it with the team member. When she did, they had a wonderful conversation in which this young lady shared that she had gone to church as a youngster, but then went into the world, but found no answers there, so her focus was exclusively on the Word of God, as she stated, “the churches are full of lies.” The team member said that from their conversation, it really seemed that this young lady was one of God’s elect, as she had a desire to wholeheartedly follow the Scriptures, and live her life to the LORD.
Another incident involved a couple with their children, and the wife did not want the tract, but her husband took it gratefully and replied, “We need to read this to find out why the world is so divided!”
Another female team member offered a tract to a young man in his ‘20’s , who sat down and quietly read it for some time. He was deep in thought and looked sad, and watched the team pass out tracts for a good while. However, after a bit, the team member looked around and did not see him any more and began to pray that the LORD, having had mercy, might have mercy, according to God’s perfect will. Another woman approached one of the team members with a tract that she had been given, and exclaimed: “Everything in here is true, the world is bad today, and it will only get worse.”
On another note, in a previous report, a young lesbian woman was mentioned, and yesterday she showed up again to get another Spanish and English tract, as her friend only spoke Spanish. Please pray for her. A young man came up to the team leader, excitingly waving a tract in his hand which he had gotten from a female member of the team. He said " This is right, this is right!". Then asked " How much are they paying you..“ The team leader responded, “Nothing, we do it because we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, and we are to be obedient to God in sharing this information.” The young man then said, "This must be very hard to do, “ then patted the team leader on the shoulder, shook his hand, and then exuberantly bounced away. A female member of the team suddenly found herself in the middle of a dense crowd as two double buses pulled up and emptied out. A man a few people away saw the tract and began straining to reach for it over the crowd, and finally got it, clutching it between both hands. The team member noticed that his hands were both swollen, with the right hand deformed in a claw shape with a half cut-off finger. A few minutes later, the team leader felt someone poking him in the back. He turned around to find the same man holding out the tract with both hands as if he were returning it. When the team leader reached to take back the tract, the man would not let it go, shaking his head no. Then he pulled the tract back, opened his deformed hand as best he could, placed the team leader's hand into it, and smiling , shook his hand and walked away.
We are confident that you are indeed rejoicing with us as you read about these individuals that God had orchestrated for us to meet today, and for which all of us have been beseeching our dear LORD for, before, during, and after this tract trip.
May God alone be magnified and glorified for such kindness.
By His grace,
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Seville, Spain
Thursday, Day 6
May 9, 2019
"And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? {14} And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:13-14)
Today was our last day in Seville, so the team leader and one of our Spanish speaking team members had to make arrangements to ship some boxes of tracts up to Madrid, since we are going there tomorrow by a high speed train. We were told that the print shop in Madrid had problems with their equipment, so they were unable to print the tracts we needed, but then we were informed that they were up and running again. However we did not want to be in a position of having no tracts, which is why we mailed the boxes to our hotel in Madrid. You would think that this would involve a couple of phone calls to accomplish this, but we are used to speed and efficiency in the US, but that is not always the case when one is abroad, and even when one speaks the language. This process involved many phone calls both to the UPS store as well as to the printer in Madrid, and even the hotel tried to help with the phone calls, as the calls were dropped, or the number was wrong, or the party on the other line thought the conversation was over, and hung up. In the end, by God’s mercy, everything worked out as He intended for our good, reminding us once again of Romans 8:28, that in spite of circumstances, our mistakes, and other unforeseen events that crop up, we can go to our Heavenly Father, knowing that He is completely in control, and is ten steps ahead of us, so to speak.
Seville has a number of tree lined boulevards, bridges, and the Guadalquivir River that winds its way though the center of town. On the streets, one sees and hears many sounds: bustling traffic, frequent ambulance and police sirens, riders on horseback in traditional costumes, horse drawn carriages with elegantly dressed men at the reins with anywhere from two to five horses - beautifully groomed and festively clad with flowers - prancing in the streets. It is a very colorful city, accentuated by the traditional dresses of the women in every imaginable hue, who seemingly are either being photographed by somebody else or taking “selfies” of themselves with their cell phones. In spite of the festive atmosphere, a fellow team member remarked, “nobody seems happy here.” And we know that for the world their happiness is bound up in
“...the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life...” (1 John 2:16); however for the child of God, the “joy of the LORD is [their] strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Both teams returned to the very busy Seville Fair, as this area is jam packed with well dressed men, women and children heading toward the Fair. We had another good day of tract distribution, and a number of the team emptied out their backpacks fairly quickly, so two team members took a cab back to the hotel to get some more tracts. Here are some of the highlights from today’s distribution: On one occasion, the team leader was passing out tracts and dropped a tract, and while bending (very slowly) to pick it up, a man came over and picked it up. The team leader was expecting him to hand it to him when the man began waving the tract in the tract in the air, thanking him as he walked away. Later on, the team leader dropped a number of tracts and and was scrambling to pick them up before the wind took them. There was one tract left to pickup when a man rushed and scoped it up. The team leader said thank you and the man responded, thank YOU, and walked away with the tract.
Another female team member reported that while she was working, a woman came approached her with a tract that she had received previously, and began to tear it up into little pieces, and so the team member opened up her hand so that the woman would not throw the little pieces down on the ground, as were are very careful in picking up those from the ground in order to be a “good witness” here in Seville. You might recall that in yesterday’s report, a young lady (around 25) was mentioned. She came back again today, asking if she could join the team for dinner, which led to a wonderful discussion of God’s Word between her and the other three Spanish speakers on the team. Please pray for her, her name is Isabel.
Last, but certainly not least, one of the team members was approached by two police officers, who asked to see her identification, and informed her and the team that we had to move up a few blocks away from the Fair. Both officers also asked to read the tract, and responded with alarm by saying, “This message is too hard for us to hear!!” Ironically, we were reminded of the same words in
John 6:60, “...This is an hard saying; who can hear it?”
The E Bible Fellowship Team in Seville, Spain
Friday, Day 7
May 10, 2019
"And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God. {30} And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last." (Luke 13:29-30)
This morning we left Seville by high speed train to go to Madrid to commence the second half of our tract trip here in Spain. By God’s mercy, we were able to hand out 38,000 tracts while we were in Seville. Prior to getting to the train station, we had to take four cabs in order to fill the 10 team members, and all of our luggage. One of the team had an interesting conversation with cab driver, and gave him a tract, when he commented on the shirts we are wearing, which reiterate the title of the tract: WHY IS THE WORLD SO DIVIDED?
The cab driver was thinking that we were saying that there were many opposing factions in the world, such as political conservatives, or liberals, or independents. The team member explained that what the tract was highlighting is that Satan - the ruler of this world - was defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the entire world is under His wrath, except for God’s elect. The team member went on to quote Matthew 12:25, which states that Satan’s kingdom is now being divided, as various institutions - who were once admired such as those in the media, politicians, sports figures, and the entertainment industry, and worldwide religions to name just a few - are now being shamed in the eyes of the world. After arriving in Madrid, we checked into our hotel, had lunch, and then walked towards the printer which was about 35 minutes away, since we had to find out if he had tracts for us or not, as he had mechanical issues. Along the way, we passed out tracts as we walked on one of the main thoroughfares in Madrid, as our hotel is located in an excellent location near downtown Madrid. When we reached a huge park, our team leader and one of our Spanish speaking team members went by themselves to the printer. The rest of us split up into two groups to cover the park. In the park we saw joggers, people on electric skateboards, roller bladers, and others who were walking or riding bikes; some were reading books on the grass, or sitting on park benches. It was encouraging to see some who sat intently reading the tract for a good while.
Another team member reported that he and a colleague were approached by four young girls, one of which spoke English and another who have difficulty communicating in English that would ask her girlfriend to pose a question to the team leader; the team leader proceeded to motion to the other team member who submitted this account. He said, “When the team leader motioned me over I started listening to their conversation I stepped in at the point where she looked at the team leader and myself, saying “Do you hate 2 men getting married? I responded by saying that we don't hate them. But it is sin like stealing and murder. God did not make them that way. Today everyone wants what they want. They don't want to do what God wants. The team leader explained that a genuine child of God wants to follow God's Word - the Bible. The other team member also told the young ladies that they could ask any question in Spanish about the Bible as well. We continue to covet your prayers for the team in Madrid - both physically and spiritually - that God may be glorified as we bring this message to His people here. Rejoicing in Him,
The E-Bible Fellowship Team in Madrid Spain
Saturday, Day 8
May 11, 2019
“And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.”(Revelation 10:11)
Near our hotel is a very large plaza, called Puerta del Sol, or “Door of the Sun.” This particular plaza is fed by ten or so extremely busy streets that are packed with so many people that our entire team spent all day here, and practically gave away all the tracts we had brought with us. There were three different demonstrations in the plaza throughout the day; the last one invited a significant police presence as it was a very large protest with banners and balloons to legalize marijuana. Madrid, as you can imagine is a bustling, cosmopolitan city, and quite different from provincial Seville. The reception rate is lower here than Seville, but the enormous sea of people make up for it. The atmosphere is also different, as one would see in any large city, like New York or Los Angles: more tattoos, piercings, a very obvious gay presence, and more homeless people.
One of the team met a middle-aged man, who went to church but was very interested in the tract, and the man asked many good questions, and the team member spoke with him for a good twenty minutes, as best he could in Spanish, covering topics such as “judgment... [began]...at God’s house” (1 Peter 3:17), the nature and duration of the Great Tribulation, the beginning of the church age on the Day of Pentecost, God working in conjunction with His people to reach the “nations of the elect” prior to May 21, 2011, and the “New Commission” that God has given to His elect in our present day of judgment to spiritually “feed” God’s elect with the Word of God, and to declare that the world is under God’s just wrath. The man showed great interest and had even more questions, so the team member decided to introduce him to one of the Spanish speaking team members across the street, so that the discussion could continue in unbroken Spanish. This team member also warned the man that because he was part of a church, he should really question his salvation. In the end, it turned out that the man had relatives in Lima, Peru during the same time frame that E-Bible Fellowship will be engaged in the Lima, Peru Mission Trip (from July 25 - August 7, 2019).
As was mentioned in an earlier report, the printer in Madrid had machinery problems, and was only able to print up 8,000 tracts for us, which we are scheduled to receive on Monday. We had some left over tracts from Seville, but we are likely to run out early, Lord willing. We had also shipped a large box of tracts from Seville which should also be arriving on Monday. We might have to get another printer quickly if for some reason this printer is unable to print up more tracts for us, so please keep this in prayer, that God will meet this need as well.
“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
The E-Bible Fellowship Team in Madrid, Spain
Sunday, Day 9
May 12, 2019
"If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. {24} And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. {25} For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath." (Mark 4:23-25)
After breakfast we headed out to the very busy Plaza del Sol once again to pass out the tracts that we had on hand, and it was very crowded today as well. We also witnessed a small musical parade, in which the participants were dressed in traditional Spanish dress. The other much larger group was attended by the police, and it was an actual demonstration. One team member asked a bystander about the purpose of the protest and learned that it had to do with sanitary conditions regarding blood donations. Incidentally, we have included two short videos of each of these events, that will also be posted on EBF’s Facebook group. The entire team divided the tracts we had on hand, and then we split up into two teams until it was time to break for lunch. After a nearby lunch we again split up the remaining tracts, and went back to the Plaza until we had none left. We then walked back to our nearby hotel to rest, pray, study, and listen to E-Bible’s Sunday Study, Q & A, and the beautiful hymns that are all a part of the Sunday programming, for which we thank God for. I did receive an additional report from yesterday, which took place during the marijuana protest. One of the team encountered a group of five men,
Here are some of the highlights from today’s distribution:
One of the team met an elderly woman who spoke Spanish but thankfully the team member got the gist of her comments which were quite telling: She said, “these are very critical questions and I’m taking the tract to read to my children.”
Another team member was asked by a man named, Jarson, “what is this about.” Then he took a tract. This same team member also reported that a 94-year old woman reached out to receive a tract, and then turned to remark, “I don't understand what's going on in the world, but I will read this.”
One team member reported that she was about to pick up a tract that she saw on a marble platform that was part of a nearby subway exit but procrastinated a bit as she saw that the tract was still clean; she then noticed a woman who saw the tract, and then picked it up to read, and after she had finished reading it, walked away with it. This same team member mentioned that she also handed out a tract to an elderly woman (whom she later learned was 82), who did not take it, and stood nearby watching the team member pass out tracts. After five minutes or so she came back over, and said, “I’ll take the tract,” and told her to keep up the good work, as most people are so hard-hearted.
We are so grateful to the Lord for the individuals that we find from time to time, carefully reading the tract, or coming back to tell us that they appreciate the contents of the tract; these encounters are indeed a great source of encouragement for each of us on the team, and really serve to confirm the fact that God has us here to reach His beloved sheep. Furthermore, we recognize time and again, that every aspect of this tract trip is according to the Lord’s divine guidance and direction, and always for His honor and glory exclusively.
By His wonderful grace,
The E-Bible Fellowship Team in Madrid, Spain
Monday, Day 10
May 13, 2019
“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. {21} For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." (Isaiah 26:20-21)
Today we discovered that the printer did not have the tracts ready, and told us that we would have them between 4-7 PM this afternoon. Moreover, the box that we had mailed from Seville had not arrived either. The team had very few Spanish tracts, so it was decided to pass out the English tracts, and then if somebody came back to request a Spanish one, we would give them one. This worked surprisingly well, and by lunch time, we had given away 3/4 of our initial supply. In the meantime we received word from the hotel that the box of tracts from Seville had arrived; additionally we heard back from the printer that the tracts were done, but it was almost closing time for them, so they requested that we stop by in the morning, which we agreed to do. After lunch, we divided the remaining 1/4 tracts so that each team member had the same amount; the plan was to hand all these out first, and then return to the hotel, divide up the box of tracts between everybody, and go out again until late.
Today one team stayed in the Plaza del Sol, while the other went to a nearby plaza, called Plaza Mayor, or “Major Plaza, ” where a concert stage had been set up, which was to take place, as we found out, later this evening. Here are some of the conversations that the Lord allowed to take place: Two team members spoke to a man and his wife briefly that had taken a tract; we also recorded part of the conversation which another team member had filmed.
Another team member recounted that a young man had approached with a tract that another team member had given him. He was quite excited and spoke very good English, and the exchange in both Spanish and English went on for about 20 minutes. This young man’s name was Diego, and he was in his late twenties; he told the team member that he did not go to any church, but he was hopeful that God had saved him, by His grace from a life of drugs, drink, and debauchery, which is the lot of so many in our world, as he put it. He went on to states that he did not understand why God had saved him, and not somebody else, which was really refreshing to hear. Diego also mentioned that he was feeling a bit depressed earlier and had prayed that God would allow him to meet another like minded believer, which revealed part of his excitement in finding the team member. A number of items were discussed, including the Biblical timeline, the Great Commission during the day of salvation, the nature of the day of judgment, along with the “New Commission” for the day of judgment, God’s methodology for studying the Bible, the spiritual significance of both “the man of sin,” and the “mark of the beast,” E-Bible’s website, and the importance of being a good Berean, etc. In the end Diego wished God’s continued blessing on the team, and His divine guidance during our stay in Madrid. The team member told Diego that before and during the trip many had been praying that a God would indeed lead the team to those elect that He wanted us to meet. How truly faithful our Lord is!
Some time later in the evening, one of the team was stopped by a police officer who told him that he was not to hand out tracts to passers by, but rather hold the tract up, and let the people who want one, come up to the me. The team member informed the leader and the team what the officer had said,and decided to move to the Plaza Mayor that one of the teams had visited earlier in the day. Those of us who have been on previous tract trips have learned that when things like these happen, it is because God is directing us elsewhere, where there are “sheep” that need to be fed, and so we willingly comply, trusting in God’s perfect guidance and sovereignty so that His will - not ours - will prevail.
When we arrived at the Plaza, the concert was very crowded, so that we were unable to move through the crowd, but we managed to circle the perimeter of the large square, to pass out tracts, in full sight of many police officers who were stationed at this event. We had brought from the US, 4700 English tracts, and by the end of the day, had given away practically all of them. Lord willing, tomorrow, we will pick up the 8,000 Spanish tracts from the printer, and the few we had left from today, to pass out on Tuesday and Wednesday, as we fly home on Thursday morning.
Please pray that God’s perfect will be done. By His enabling,
The E-Bible Team in Madrid Spain
Tuesday, Day 11
May 14, 2019
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. {35} For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. {36} Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36)
Today the team divided up the remaining tracts and headed out to two other locations in the city, where the reception was fairly steady. We had heard that tomorrow was going to be a holiday, as well as the last day of the San Isidro Festival, in honor of the patron saint of Madrid. So the team leader found a copy center that printed 4,000 tracts in preparation for the event. We picked these up around 8 PM, went to eat at a local restaurant next to the hotel which we have regularly frequented, and then had a tract folding party until 11:30 PM, when the restaurant closed. By God’s grace, all the tracts were folded and bundled ready for tomorrow. Here are some highlights from today’s distribution:
One of the team recounted that as he was standing by a busy corner, near the closet lane of traffic, two garbage men in a truck who were stopped at a red light, motioned that they wanted tracts; three other cars also did the same.
Another team member who was stationed at the entrance of one of the largest parks in Madrid said that his female partner (who only spoke a little Spanish) sent over a woman who was talking excitedly, to speak with him. After a few minutes, it became very evident that this woman was making the point that “we needed to belong to a church,” to which the team member replied, all churches and denominations throughout the world, came under the wrath of God on May 21, 1988. The woman seemed to ignore the team member’ statement and insisted on repeating her position, to which the team member replied, “this is what the Bible teaches, and it’s pointless to argue about it,” after which the woman walked away. This same team member also reported that he ran into a similar situation, only with a man (who might have been a pastor or deacon), and also was pointing out that the tract was wrong about the date of May 21, 2011, and of course he adhered to Bishop Ussher’s flawed calendar. He also proceeded to share some websites with the team member, but the team member indicated that he was not interested, as his interpretation of a number of doctrines that he was espousing were not based on “comparing spiritual with spiritual.” Curiously another team member said that he too, ran into a couple men on two separate occasions, who were also part of a church, one of whom was very well versed in Scripture, but again flawed in his understanding that Bible is to be understood spiritually first and foremost. As we witness the spiritual blindness that so many are engulfed in, the elect child of God realizes what an enormous privilege that God has afforded to His people by giving them spiritual insight, as we read in
Luke 24:45, “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.”
Thank you for your continued prayers as we prepare for our last day of sharing God’s Word in Spain. As always, our constant prayer is that God may be magnified in all we say and do.
The E-Bible Team in Madrid Spain
Wednesday, Day 12
May 15, 2019
"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: {25} But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."(1 Peter 1:24-25)
Today the team headed to the area in which the conclusion of this six day Festival of the patron saint of Madrid was took place. It centers around a church that bears his name, and a very large park that is adjacent to the church, where people gather to eat lunch on the grassy knolls. We thought Plaza del Sol was exceptionally busy, until we went to this park, or“pradera, “which signifies “meadows” in Spanish. We were greeted with a veritable “sea” of people which grew so large that one felt almost claustrophobic. The main street where this takes place is lined on one side with food and drink stands, and special donuts in honor of this man, who is revered by Catholics to be a presumed “saint.” God’ s elect, however, know that a genuine “saint,” is simply one who has been born from above, during the day of salvation.
Overall, the atmosphere was more akin to an “Oktoberfest” with lots of beer, music and dancing. It was well covered by Madrid’s radio and TV stations, and of course a very large police presence. Here are some highlights from today’s distribution: The team leader, while on his way to breakfast and “tracting,” met a middle -aged Spanish woman in the elevator of the hotel. Enthusiastically, she began pointing at his“Why is the World so Divided”shirt, speaking in Spanish, and making gestures of approval. When he went to hand her a tract, she refused saying “no, no,” but then continued to express approval of our efforts. A bit confused, the team leader again offered a tract which she refused again. The team leader was perplexed. Just as the elevator was stopping at her floor, she turned and gestured, speaking excitedly in Spanish, and communicated that she had received a tract yesterday and read it. Then smiling and making more motions of approval, she got off the elevator. The leader praised God for this incident, as it was such a wonderful encouragement to start the last day of our trip.
By contrast, a little later in the day, the following encounter was reported: During a demonstration in Plaza del Sol, many tracts were given out. The team leader gave a tract to two women who were carrying a sign from the demonstration that was unfolding in the Plaza. They walked away reading it for a moment, then one of them rushed back angrily and giving the tract back yelled at him, “This is a political demonstration!" The world is so concerned with so called “freedom” - be it political, financial, or one’s physical well bring - not realizing their own spiritual bankruptcy, as the Lord Jesus so clearly revealed in John 8:36 during the day of salvation:
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Another team member reported that he had met a man who had asked for a tract, and wanted to know if we were being sponsored by a church, as he was not part of a church, to which the team member responded, “we are not.” In closing, the team is tremendously grateful to our Heavenly Father for the many blessings, provision, and safety during our time in Spain. Please continue to pray for the individuals that we have encountered that they might be fed and nourished by the Bible studies and other programming on E-Bible Fellowship’s website and Facebook groups. We thank each of our brothers and sisters in Christ for upholding the team in prayer over the course of these last two weeks.
“To the only wise God our Saviour, [be] glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”(Jude 25)
The E-Bible Team in Madrid Spain